Frank Vatrano Linked To Seattle
When Seattle picks their team on Wednesday, they’re expected to make several side deals like Vegas did back in 2017 to take on assets for staying away from a player, picking a specific player, or even in exchange for someone that was selected. In the latest DFO Podcast (audio link), Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that Florida will be one of those teams. While Chris Driedger is expected to go to Seattle, Seravalli adds that Frank Vatrano is also expected to be heading to the Kraken as well.
The 27-year-old winger has quietly found his scoring touch since moving from Boston to Florida, notching 58 goals in 206 games over the past three seasons including 18 tallies in 56 contests in 2020-21. Those numbers aren’t elite by any stretch but he has found his place as a capable secondary scorer.
To that end, it’s a little surprising that the Panthers appear to be willing to move on from Vatrano who is about to enter the final year of his contract with a reasonable $2.533MM AAV. They have some promising young forwards in Grigori Denisenko, Owen Tippett, and 2020 top pick Anton Lundell that could stand to benefit from a spot being created up front.
Alternatively, it could be a scenario where GM Bill Zito is looking to free up some cap room to make a more prominent addition or even a trade for someone that’s selected. Either way, it appears that Driedger may not be the only Panther acquired by Seattle on Wednesday.
Jonathan Bernier Expected To Test Free Agency
At times this past season, it looked like there was a possibility that goaltender Jonathan Bernier could extend his stay with the Red Wings. However, it appears that won’t be the case as TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link) that the veteran has decided to test the open market when free agency begins next week.
The 32-year-old hasn’t exactly posted great numbers with Detroit but with the Red Wings bottoming out in the standings as GM Steve Yzerman rebuilds the roster, Bernier held his own most nights over the last three years. In 2020-21, he played in 24 games while splitting time with Thomas Greiss, posting a 2.99 GAA along with a .914 SV% which was six points above the league average. Being above the NHL average in that department is something that his agent Pat Brisson will undoubtedly bring up in contract discussions.
Bernier could very well be in line for a small raise on the $3MM cap hit he had on this most recent deal. The backup market has continued to grow in recent years with an increase of teams wanting to lessen the workload of their starter or even head towards more of a platoon with some deals coming in closer to the $3.5MM mark. Bernier has basically been in that same situation for the past several years even before his time in Detroit and that track record could help him when the floodgates open next week.
Ryan Getzlaf Intends To Re-Sign With Anaheim
There were many pending unrestricted free agents that were left unprotected for Wednesday’s expansion draft but the expectation is quite a few of them will ink new deals between the lifting of the transactions freeze on Thursday and the start of the free agent market next Wednesday. Among those appears to be center Ryan Getzlaf as Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register notes that the veteran is believed to be intending to return to Anaheim and re-sign with the Ducks before free agency opens up.
The 36-year-old has spent his entire 16-year career in Anaheim and is the longest-serving captain in franchise history after taking on that role in 2010. In his prime, he was a dominant top-line center but his production has tapered off sharply in recent years. This past season, he posted career lows offensively with just five goals and 12 assists in 48 games despite still averaging more than 16 minutes per game. That had him in trade speculation at the trade deadline although with an $8MM AAV, a viable deal never materialized.
Now that he’s set to hit the open market, it’s fair to say that Getzlaf will be taking a significant drop in pay whether it comes from Anaheim or someone else. At this stage of his career, he’s probably better off on the third line or lower so his salary will be more commensurate with that role. Worth noting, he is eligible to sign a contract with performance incentives as long as it’s a one-year contract. Such a structure would seemingly make sense for both sides as it would allow the Ducks to get him on a lower base rate but allow Getzlaf the opportunity to make more if his production rebounds next season. Either way, it certainly appears as if Getzlaf’s tenure in Anaheim might not be done just yet.
Canadiens And Jets Among Teams To Show Interest In Rasmus Ristolainen
Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen is no stranger to trade speculation as it has seemingly become an annual tradition as of late. Now, as he’s set to entire the final year of his contract next season before being eligible for unrestricted free agency, that speculation will only intensify. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reported on the latest Insider Trading segment (video link) that several teams have shown some level of interest in the 26-year-old including the Canadiens and Jets.
Ristolainen saw his production dip sharply in 2020-21, going down to just four goals and 14 assists in 49 games, his lowest output since 2013-14, his rookie campaign. However, he has four seasons of more than 40 points under his belt (and had a shot at getting there in the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 campaign had it not been for the schedule reduction) and has logged heavy minutes throughout his career. That makes him one of the more intriguing offensive threats from the back to be available this summer.
Of course, there’s the matter of his defensive zone play. It hasn’t been particularly sharp for most of his career and while Buffalo has struggled considerably throughout his career which doesn’t help matters, he hasn’t exactly helped their fortunes in that regard. A change of scenery could help his fortunes which would go a long way towards helping his case on the open market a year from now.
Both Montreal and Winnipeg make sense as landing spots for Ristolainen. The Canadiens have a big hole to fill on their back end with Shea Weber’s playing future in serious jeopardy while the Jets have been needing to bolster their defense corps for a while now with GM Kevin Cheveldayoff already acknowledging that he’s looking to make a move to accomplish that.
Both teams have ample cap space to bring him in as well at his $5.4MM price tag; Montreal can place Weber on LTIR to give themselves some wiggle room while Winnipeg has over $15MM coming off their books plus potential LTIR flexibility with Bryan Little as well.
We’ve seen Ristolainen in trade speculation for a while but with him about to enter the final year of his contract and a UFA market that isn’t exactly loaded with impact blueliners, the timing for a trade is certainly right. With the NHL Entry Draft just days away and the transactions freeze set to lift on Thursday, there will likely be another frenzy of moves and the Finnish rearguard could very well be among them.
Five Key Stories: 7/12/21 – 7/18/21
After a quiet first full week of July, it was anything but over the past seven days with a flurry of expansion-related moves being made and plenty of other notable offseason notes which are highlighted in our key stories of the week.
Rinne Retires: Veteran goaltender Pekka Rinne decided that it was time to call it a career as he announced his retirement at the age of 38. He spent his entire NHL career spanning parts of 15 seasons with the Predators who drafted him in the eighth round back in 2004. In his prime, Rinne was a Vezina-caliber netminder, being a finalist for the award four times and winning it once while holding franchise records in games played (683), wins (369), goals against average (2.43), and shutouts (60). Nashville will now likely look to free agency to find a new backup for Juuse Saros (who narrowly holds the franchise record for save percentage).
Big Money For Heiskanen: Miro Heiskanen has wasted little time becoming a star defenseman for Dallas and he was rewarded for his efforts with a record-setting contract. The 22-year-old signed an eight-year, $67.6MM deal, the highest ever for a defenseman coming off of his entry-level pact. Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar are two other high-end blueliners whose first contracts are set to expire and they will undoubtedly be using this deal as a comparable. In the meantime, the Stars have their franchise blueliner in place for basically the rest of the decade.
Minnesota Buyouts: Zach Parise and Ryan Suter came to Minnesota as a package deal back in the summer of 2012 as they signed identical 13-year, $98MM contracts that are now illegal in the NHL. They’ll now leave the Wild as a package deal after the Wild bought both players out of the final four years of their deals. Parise saw his role decrease considerably this past season and wasn’t likely to get more playing time moving forward while Suter’s came as a bit more of a surprise with him still logging over 22 minutes a game on the back end. Minnesota will get a big boost in cap space for 2021-22 before the dead cap charges nearly match what their original cap hits were. That could result in them chasing down some one-year deals this summer. Meanwhile, Parise and Suter won’t be able to sign with new teams until the free agent market opens up on the 28th.
Expansion Lists: After months of speculation as to who Seattle could be picking to start their franchise, we now know who will be available as the protection lists were officially revealed on Sunday. A summary of the protected players and notables left exposed can be found here. There were some prominent players left available and while some of them were expected, others were quite surprising. Among the notables that the Kraken can choose from are Montreal goaltender Carey Price, St. Louis winger Vladimir Tarasenko, Flames defenseman Mark Giordano as well as all but three pending unrestricted free agents. Seattle now has exclusive negotiating rights to those free agents through the transactions freeze which is lifted on Thursday and could opt to sign and select some of those players on Wednesday.
Trade Deadline: A trade deadline in the middle of July is something that hasn’t happened before. But with Saturday being the start of the transactions freeze, it spurred a mini trade frenzy with eight swaps being made, some having direct implications on protection lists. The biggest one was a three-team trade between the Predators, Flyers, and Golden Knights. Philadelphia made a big addition to their back end, acquiring Ryan Ellis from Nashville in exchange for Philippe Myers and Nolan Patrick; the Preds then flipped Patrick to Vegas for Cody Glass. Ellis had been a fixture on Nashville’s blueline for a decade but GM David Poile is clearly shaking up the core and in Glass, he gets a once highly-touted center to try to develop and a capable second pairing piece in Myers. As for the Golden Knights, Patrick was the second-overall pick in 2017 (Glass was sixth) and a change of scenery could do him some good as they try to rebuild his value.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
PHR Mailbag: Kraken, MacKinnon, Entry Draft, Sharks Goaltending, Kings, Centers, Guentzel, Devils, Kuznetsov, Predators
Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include the upcoming expansion draft, Nathan MacKinnon’s future, some Entry Draft predictions, and much more. If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in last weekend’s mailbag.
Nha Trang: Crystal Ball #2: Is Ron Francis’ intent in Seattle to emulate Vegas and win now, or to put together a team that’ll contend 2-3 years from now?
I suspect Francis is looking ahead a few years but to be fair, I don’t think the Golden Knights went into the process expecting to make a long playoff run in their first season either. With who all was left unprotected, Seattle could assemble a roster that could make a real run at a playoff spot but they should be looking to accumulate some picks and prospects more than trying to get into the postseason right away.
The way to do that will be to pick some players that can be flipped for value. Last time, Vegas took some veteran defensemen that went for late picks which is fine (Seattle will probably do the same with a few picks) but there are some top-six forwards available that other teams will part with quality assets to get. For example, if Tampa Bay doesn’t pay the high price to entice them to take Tyler Johnson, then take and flip Ondrej Palat who, as a rental, will yield a nice return. Same with Calgary and Mark Giordano. I’m sure they’ll get some picks for taking on certain contracts as well but moving one or two of their better selections would be a way to differentiate themselves from Vegas and build for the future.
Shjon: How active and/or successful do you think Francis will be during the free agent interview period between the 18th and 21st?
I suspect they’ll be extremely active in terms of speaking with UFAs. They’ll talk to dozens of them if they can. They get an opportunity to learn about a bunch of asking prices and if I were them, I’d try to get a couple of agreements in principle in place without actually selecting that player just to add as many assets as possible.
If you define success by how many they actually sign, I’d say they won’t be successful. Other than Chris Driedger who is the expected selection with a sign and select agreement, I don’t know if they really need to sign anyone else. They’ll be successful in terms of knowing more about what the UFA market will look like than any other team. But if they sign a bunch of players, I wouldn’t call it a success in that they will be giving up the opportunity to add other pieces as well. Fill out the roster with signed players and RFAs to build up the asset base, then supplement it with free agents at the end of the month.
Y2KAK: Who would be the most realistic player going to Seattle? Oshie? Tyler Johnson?
There aren’t many ‘obvious’ selections to make a list of realistic if not likely picks. Giordano from the Flames seems like the logical selection as someone that could be flipped but Calgary may want to pay to keep him around. I’d like to put Vince Dunn as a realistic choice as a young defenseman with some offensive pop that’s under team control for a while but Vladimir Tarasenko has to be tempting in terms of trying to improve his value and then flipping him later.
I’ll go with Driedger just with how long he’s been linked to them but if they decide they want to take Carey Price (I don’t think they will, especially with the injury questions now), even Driedger wouldn’t be a certainty as Seattle may not want to tie up that much money between the pipes. That’s one of the really intriguing elements of this draft is just how many viable ways Seattle can go here. Each writer here at PHR will be picking a mock team and I expect there will be plenty of varying opinions.
M34: MacKinnon has publicly stated he would take a “cheaper” deal again next time he is up. At that point in his career, and the MVP-caliber status/production, what is his market value? What kind of “lesser” deal is he willing to sign? Will it make a difference whether or not Colorado wins a Cup between now and then?
Assuming that Connor McDavid’s $12.5MM remains the top bar as it should be, Nathan MacKinnon’s market value should settle in a little below that in the $11.5MM to $12MM range. John Tavares is basically the only comparable top center to actually sign recently via unrestricted free agency and he signed for $11MM. MacKinnon is the better player so $11MM becomes the minimum bar to clear if he gets to the open market. He’ll be 27 at the time of his free agency (turning 28 before the 2023-24 season starts) and still in the prime of his career so while that’s undoubtedly a high price tag, it’d be justifiable for teams to throw it at him.
A hometown discount is always tough to peg for superstar players. It’s not as if the player can accept a lower AAV for a longer-term deal like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins did; MacKinnon is getting the max (eight years from Colorado, seven from everyone else). And even in this cap environment, there will be enough teams willing to throw that type of money at him. Would he take a million less per year than market value? Maybe but it’d be hard to see the discount being much more than that.
I don’t think it will make much of a difference if they’ve won the Stanley Cup between now and then. For me, it’s a question of being contenders. Is Colorado still going to be a consistent threat in the West two years from now? If the answer to that question is yes (and it should be), then that’s the bigger priority over already having won one.
The Mistake of Giving Eugene Melnyk a Liver Transplant: It sounds like almost all draft prospects plan to return to their current teams next year. Are there any notable players who would possibly try the NHL or AHL next year? Also, how much of this is COVID-19 related, as this certainly seems higher than normal?
There are usually only a handful of draft picks to make the jump each year, including the top selection; Mike Modano was the last to not go to the NHL right away and that was in 1988. With this being a lost development year for a lot of prospects, it’s not shocking that some of the expected top picks are planning on staying where they are for another year and in most cases, I think whoever drafts them would be fine with it. (I think Buffalo would rather Owen Power turn pro right away so we’ll see if they can make that happen assuming he does indeed go number one.) Generally speaking, a lot of this should be attributed to COVID-19.
As for trying the AHL, I don’t expect any of the European prospects to try that league while most American prospects will be committed to the college route. Those are the ones that are eligible to go to that league as anyone picked from the CHL is restricted from joining the AHL until they turn 20 or have four years of service time.
rogueraceseries: Thank you for fielding questions! My head-scratcher is this…. What 2021 draft-eligible prospect will make the biggest leap/splash in this year’s draft? Like Seider jumping to #6 two years ago. Conversely, what player do you think will drop the most? Maybe Caufield as an example (he has had the last laugh this playoff run, hasn’t he? #nhlerstud)
Mason McTavish really seems to be flying up the rankings lately. A few months ago, he seemed to be at the back of the lottery but all of a sudden, a top-five selection doesn’t appear to be out of the question. I’ll also toss Sebastian Cossa out as a possibility. Are there teams that value him higher than Jesper Wallstedt? If so, he could go a fair bit higher than where most would expect (which, at this point, is probably in the late teens/early twenties). Two Russians in Danill Chayka and Nikita Chibrikov are other candidates. Some have them in the second round but if there’s a team that’s sold on his upside, they could land in the teens.
As for who drops, my usual picks for this question each year tend to get picked earlier than normal; the crystal ball doesn’t seem to work well for this one. I’ll go with Aatu Raty. Once viewed as a possible top-five pick, his value has dropped considerably. Some have him in the teens but it wouldn’t shock me if he slides closer to the back of the first round.
Cheechoo56: Assuming we are to believe Doug Wilson’s saying the Sharks are retooling and not rebuilding, are there any free agent goalkeepers that make sense in San Jose (given a potential buyout for Martin Jones and their cap situation)?
It’s not a great year for true number one goalies in free agency and that’s what San Jose really needs. Philipp Grubauer is the top name out there but his career high in games played is 40. Whether it’s retooling or rebuilding, the Sharks don’t need someone in their 30s already. Someone with an opportunity to be around for a few years would be preferable.
If it’s not Grubauer, I’d be looking at Linus Ullmark. Ullmark has struggled to secure the starting role in Buffalo but San Jose’s back end is a whole different animal. Perhaps a change of scenery gives him a bit of a boost and if that happens, San Jose would have goaltending that probably checks in just above the league average. They’d take that in a heartbeat.
Adin Hill is going to be part of the equation now as well but I don’t think he’s ready to be a starter yet or even the 1A guy in a platoon. They’re still going to need a more proven starter and Jones isn’t it. I’m not convinced Ullmark will be either but that tandem would certainly put them in the right direction.
Rene vandervelden: Who is a better trade target for the Kings, Jack Eichel or Vladimir Tarasenko?
I’ll go with Tarasenko. The Kings aren’t really in a spot where they should be parting with a bunch of top young talent to try to win now. I know that’s what their veteran core wants but it’s not the smart move. Anze Kopitar is already at $10MM and adding another center at that price point may not be the wisest decision which sours me on Eichel as a fit. I’m not opposed to the idea of them dealing away one of their many young pivots but not for him.
What I like about Tarasenko is that his trade value shouldn’t be all that high. He wants out, he has had shoulder trouble the last few years, and his contract at $7.5MM is too expensive for most teams to absorb. The Kings can take on that deal without offsets which gives them a leg up. Is there a risk to Tarasenko? Absolutely. But there’s also the potential for a high reward and at what would appear to be a below-market acquisition cost, there’s a chance for them to upgrade the roster without losing key parts of the future. That’s the sweet spot I’m looking for if I’m GM Rob Blake.
@FritzLiebich: Are the LA Kings ready to contend or are they 2-3 players away? Who should the Kings target by way of UFA or trade?
There is an opportunity for Los Angeles to be a playoff contender next season but by that, I mean a team that’s in a battle for a Wild Card spot. That’s not really true contention and it’s why I just advocated against making a big splash on the trade market with Eichel. But I do like the idea of them trying to add and the Viktor Arvidsson pickup certainly made sense.
I’d be looking for veteran bridge players if I was Blake, players that can upgrade the roster now but also be expendable in a trade if one of their many young prospects is ready for a bigger role. That means players on short-term contracts unless they’re adding someone that they think could still be a quality contributor a few years from now.
They could go for a free agent but I like the trade route better. Many teams are looking to dump contracts which means there will be opportunities to add roster upgrades at below-market costs such as Tarasenko above. Target Tampa Bay as they have several pricey veterans that need to be moved for cap reasons; they can’t command full value. As an example, Alex Killorn would be another nice addition on the wing. The Islanders may want to shed some money based on who they left unprotected. Jordan Eberle’s contract is a bit long for my liking (three more years) but would fill a positional need. They’re not getting these types of players for free but they won’t be paying a premium either and won’t have to sign someone to a longer-term contract that wouldn’t be advisable based on where they are. They’d improve the team and not mortgage the future in terms of assets or cap flexibility.
Offseason Checklist: Colorado Avalanche
The offseason is in full flight with the draft and free agency fast approaching. We continue our series which examines what each team needs to accomplish over the coming weeks and months. Next up is a look at Colorado.
This was a season that some felt might be Colorado’s best time to take a run at the Stanley Cup with some core players on team-friendly contracts, allowing them the flexibility to add Brandon Saad last offseason. However, things didn’t go as planned as they were eliminated by Vegas in the second round. Now, GM Joe Sakic has considerable cap room at his disposal but several key players in need of new deals. Accordingly, Colorado’s checklist this summer revolves primarily around those pending free agents.
Re-Sign Makar
Before digging into the notable UFAs, let’s look at the big RFA first. Makar has been an impact player since joining the Avs for the 2019 playoffs where he left college and played a regular role right away. From there, he has become one of the most dynamic offensive threats in the league from the back end and was the runner up in Norris Trophy voting while recording 44 points in 44 games this past season.
Generally speaking, players that don’t have the longest of track records typically can’t command the long-term, big-money contract. Makar technically falls into this category as two abbreviated regular seasons have left him with just 101 regular season contests under his belt, roughly a year and a quarter of a full 82-game campaign. However, how much more does he really have to prove at this point? He’s already a premier talent and that’s not going to change.
Accordingly, Makar should be one of the exceptions to the rule in that someone with that few games played can command a long-term deal if he wants one (which isn’t a guarantee with the current cap landscape). There aren’t many comparable players to work from but Ottawa’s Thomas Chabot had inked the richest post-entry-level contract by a defenseman at eight years and $64MM. That just changed with the eight-year, $67.6MM deal that Dallas gave to Miro Heiskanen on Saturday. If he gets a max-term contract, his agent will undoubtedly be working off the templates of these two deals.
Sign A Starting Goalie
Three goalies posted a goals against average below two in 2020-21. One won the Vezina, one played a dominant half-season in Carolina, and the other is Philipp Grubauer whose timing for such a season was perfect as he’s set to hit the open market later this month. He now stands atop the free agent class for goaltenders which has him well-positioned for a substantial raise on the $3.33MM AAV he had on his most recent contract. Considering some of the goalies that have signed in recent years such as Matt Murray, Jordan Binnington, and Jacob Markstrom, Grubauer has a legitimate chance of doubling his previous price tag despite never playing more than 40 games in a season, a mark he reached this year for the first time.
One question for Colorado is can they afford to pay their starter that much knowing they need to save big money for Makar’s deal, the fact they have another key UFA to bring back (more on him shortly), and have Nathan MacKinnon up for a lucrative new contract two years from now. They can only afford so many big-ticket deals on the books.
However, can they afford to not bring Grubauer back? There is plenty of uncertainty with backup Pavel Francouz who missed the entire season due to a lower-body injury and it’s not as if he’s particularly proven in the NHL with all of 36 career NHL regular season contests. They need a proven starter and while Grubauer doesn’t have the longest track record, it’s a better one than any of the other viable free agents out there. They don’t need elite-level goaltending with the caliber of the team in front of him and keeping Grubauer around would give them some long-term stability between the pipes.
If they can’t agree to terms with him, the plan may shift to trying a short-term platoon and there are enough veterans available to make this an option. It’s not a long-term solution though and shouldn’t be their primary plan heading into free agency while the trade market could yield some more intriguing options at a higher acquisition cost. This will need to be addressed quickly as it’s hard to see any viable options left by the time the calendar flips to August.
Re-Sign Or Replace Landeskog
Onto the other significant pending UFA. Gabriel Landeskog has been a fixture in Colorado’s lineup for the last decade after being the second-overall pick in 2011. He has spent the majority of his time on their top line and has been on a bargain contract throughout his career as after his entry-level deal expired, he played on a seven-year deal with a $5.571MM cap hit which is certainly below market value for a top liner. The captain has made it clear that he wants to stay and has even publicly voiced his frustration over the fact a deal isn’t done.
So what’s the holdup? Salary is one thing – he’s heading for a raise in Colorado or elsewhere despite the reported recent offers from the Avs – but speculatively, I think the term of a new deal may be the bigger issue in discussions. Yes, Landeskog is only 28 but with over 700 career games played (regular season and playoffs), that’s a fair bit of mileage. He also plays a rugged style, one that doesn’t necessarily tend to age well which adds a layer of risk to any deal that approaches the eight-year maximum which is why the reported eight-year offer from the Avalanche to Landeskog is as low as it is. Is there a happy medium that takes a year or two off the term of the contract but keeps it at an affordable price point for the team? Having that option could very well push things along.
If they can’t work out an agreement, that’s a big hole for the Avalanche to fill. Re-signing Saad becomes a more viable option but if not, they could be a player in free agency to try to find someone to step onto the top line. But there are still nearly two weeks before Landeskog gets to the open market. It’s hard to see Colorado giving up on the prospect of re-signing their captain until he puts pen to paper elsewhere.
Center Decisions
With MacKinnon in place, there are no questions about their top center. J.T. Compher is still in the mix for now although we’ll see what happens with him being made available to Seattle. Things could change fairly quickly after that, however.
Nazem Kadri is coming off another quality season on the second line and is signed for this season with a $4.5MM price tag before becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer. Of course, the question stems from what happened in the playoffs when he received an eight-game suspension for an illegal check to the head on Blues defenseman Justin Faulk. It wasn’t his first notable incident either and the number of games per suspension is going up from here. Is Colorado prepared to move forward with him or will they be better off trying someone else who could be a longer-term option in that role?
Then there’s Tyson Jost. He was the tenth-overall pick in 2016 but he hasn’t been able to establish himself as more than a role player. He’s arbitration-eligible for the first time this summer after accepting his qualifying offer in the fall but his projected role hasn’t changed as he’s still a bottom-six option. Now 23, is he someone that would be better suited with a change of scenery? They’d be selling low but another year like his last few would send Jost’s value even lower.
There’s also Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, their fourth-line pivot for the last two years who is set to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the month. He isn’t a major point producer but has been a fixture on their penalty kill and well above average at the faceoff dot. He’s also 36 and clearly not in anyone’s long-term plans. Is that spot better suited for someone closer to the league minimum or someone younger? At this point, it seems like he won’t be back.
Sakic will have some decisions to make about his middlemen in the coming weeks. The end result could be a group that’s a fair bit different than the one that finished up the season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Jets Trying To Move Mason Appleton
With the transaction freeze now just over an hour away, the Jets appear to be trying to move a player that’s likely to be left unprotected from Seattle as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports (Twitter link) that they are shopping winger Mason Appleton.
The 25-year-old secured a full-time spot with Winnipeg for the first time this past season and certainly made the most of it, posting career highs across the board with 12 goals and 13 assists in 56 games while averaging 14:25 per night, primarily suiting up on their third line. He chipped in with three more points in eight postseason contests. However, while the Jets would like to protect Appleton, he’s likely to be the odd forward out when they submit their protection list to the NHL later today.
[Related: Jets Expansion Primer]
Appleton has one more year left on his deal with a more than reasonable $900K price tag which is something that most teams around the league will be able to afford. While his overall track record isn’t the longest (just 138 career NHL games), the success he had on what was an effective third line for Winnipeg should be enough to generate some interest in his services.
Of course, one of those teams should be Seattle which is why he’s a contender to become a member of the Kraken if he’s not dealt. The question now for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will be if a possible return for Appleton is high enough to justify moving him and losing another player off their roster or if they’re better off just losing him on Wednesday during the expansion draft. We’ll find out one way or the other within the next hour.
Ducks Re-Sign Alexander Volkov
The Ducks have agreed to terms with one of their pending free agent as player agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star reports (Twitter link) that his client, winger Alexander Volkov, has signed a new one-year deal with Anaheim. PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that Volkov will receive a $925K salary on his one-way contract. The Ducks have confirmed the extension.
The 23-year-old split last season between Tampa Bay and Anaheim after requesting a trade from the Lightning to try to find a bigger role elsewhere. He certainly received that with the Ducks, averaging nearly 14 minutes per night in 18 games with the team and certainly made the most of the opportunity, notching four goals and four assists in that span. Adding in his time with Tampa Bay, his season ended with seven goals and six helpers in 37 contests.
That didn’t give him a lot of leverage heading into this contract negotiation, even with Volkov being eligible for arbitration for the first time. Even so, he managed to get a raise of $225K from his deal from last season and if he’s able to play at a similar level with the Ducks over the course of a full season, he’ll be well-positioned for another raise next summer.
This is a move that could have some expansion implications. With this agreement, Volkov can now serve as one of Anaheim’s two signed forwards (with 27 games played this past season or 54 in the past two) to be exposed to Seattle, giving them some extra flexibility if they wind up protecting seven forwards and three defensemen.
Chris Driedger Expected To Be Taken By Seattle In Expansion
The protection lists won’t be finalized for a few hours yet but it appears Seattle knows who they will be taking from the Panthers. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the Kraken will select goaltender Chris Driedger from Florida and sign the pending unrestricted free agent to a new contract.
Driedger has definitely been a late bloomer. After Ottawa non-tendered him back in 2018 following a season that saw him post a 4.04 GAA in the AHL, he went to Florida on a two-way deal, doing well enough to earn another two-way contract in 2019, one that just expired now. But instead of serving as their third or even fourth-string goaltender as they intended, the 27-year-old worked his way into an early-season promotion in 2019-20 and has stayed with the Panthers ever since.
He finished off that season with a 2.05 GAA and a .938 SV% in 12 games and while he wasn’t quite able to duplicate those numbers this past season, he came pretty close, posting a 2.07 GAA with a .927 SV% in 23 games. By comparison, Sergei Bobrovsky, who they intended to have as their starter, had a 2.91 GAA and a .906 SV% in his 31 appearances. Bobrovsky carries a $10MM AAV while Driedger made just $850K.
Driedger will certainly be in line for a significant raise on his next deal even though he’s still quite inexperienced in the NHL with all of 38 games under his belt. If Seattle winds up selecting and extending him as expected, he should get an opportunity to push for the number one role depending on which other goaltenders the Kraken pick on Wednesday.
As for Florida, this will be a much different expansion experience for them. Last time, they lost both Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault to Vegas with the two becoming top-six fixtures for the Golden Knights ever since. Now, they appear to be set to lose a player they were highly unlikely to retain anyway with top prospect Spencer Knight also in the mix for playing time between the pipes. Losing someone they weren’t going to be able to keep is basically the best-case scenario for them, a nice reversal of fortune from 2017.